Poll: Have you ever used the motto 'I have work to do' as an excuse not to do something? Лице кое објавува дискусија: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever used the motto 'I have work to do' as an excuse not to do something?".
This poll was originally submitted by Natalia Pedrosa. View the poll results »
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Not as an excuse (sounds childish) but as a reason or as an explanation. People think that freelancing isn’t quite like having a proper job: you have no obligations whatsoever, you can take time off whenever you want and are ready to leave everything behind at the first “wink”…
| | | | | and let me add... | Mar 20, 2016 |
Teresa Borges wrote:
Not as an excuse (sounds childish) but as a reason or as an explanation. People think that freelancing isn’t quite like having a proper job: you have no obligations whatsoever, you can take time off whenever you want and are ready to leave everything behind at the first “wink”…
And furthermore: you can work any time you want.
I try to explain that deadlines are deadlines... and that sometimes I "really want" to work on Sunday morning at 6 because I have a deadline on Monday but in the previous 6 days I had to drive kids to the doctor, I had to do something unexpected...
Or simply because I really could not say NO to that client
But I have to be honest, I also used it as an excuse ... phone calls with boring projects for a day... well sorry I have work to do
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X) 
Соединети Американски Држави
Local time: 06:01
шпански на англиски
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For the last few years I haven't had to make it up; I've had very little down time. But it's still true that I want people to think that I'm working even if I'm not.
I have a lot of neighbors who like to phone or drop by, as well as retired friends who call me in the daytime. If I'm not actually working, I will still let them think I am so they will learn to respect my schedule.
People don't understand--and it took me a long time to learn--that interruptions take more t... See more For the last few years I haven't had to make it up; I've had very little down time. But it's still true that I want people to think that I'm working even if I'm not.
I have a lot of neighbors who like to phone or drop by, as well as retired friends who call me in the daytime. If I'm not actually working, I will still let them think I am so they will learn to respect my schedule.
People don't understand--and it took me a long time to learn--that interruptions take more time than just the minutes on the clock. I always have a lag between one activity and the next as I regroup my thoughts and get back in the groove. That part can take as much time or more than the interruption itself. So I've learned that I have to protect myself against intrusions from the outside. As a freelance, I need to be firm in taking charge of my schedule, even if it means fibbing and saying "I have work to do." ▲ Collapse
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 09:01
англиски на шпански
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| Some family members never understand | Mar 20, 2016 |
I echo Muriel's thoughts. Years ago, my eldest sister would call during the day, when I was busy working. I repeatedly asked her to call me in the evenings. Did she make note of that? No.
I have a younger brother I love very much; he has his own family and we get along famously. We keep in touch constantly. However, he would sometimes call me without regard to whether I'm working or not, but simply because he knows I don't hold a 9-to-5 job schedule, not because he likes to bug me.<... See more I echo Muriel's thoughts. Years ago, my eldest sister would call during the day, when I was busy working. I repeatedly asked her to call me in the evenings. Did she make note of that? No.
I have a younger brother I love very much; he has his own family and we get along famously. We keep in touch constantly. However, he would sometimes call me without regard to whether I'm working or not, but simply because he knows I don't hold a 9-to-5 job schedule, not because he likes to bug me.
Because I am sometimes the culprit, calling others at times that are inconvenient to them, I always try to ask Do you have a moment to talk? before going into a monologue about my life. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Германија
Local time: 15:01
Член (2009)
англиски на германски
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Because when I say this, then it's a fact, not an excuse.
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Because, more often than not, I 'have work to do.'
I might say 'I have some gardening to do' or 'I have some things to do around the house' as an excuse not to go downstairs to the office. But only when I know I'm sure I have enough time to spare until delivery.
Small edit
[Edited at 2016-03-21 08:09 GMT]
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Imo it's more of an excuse or reason than a motto.
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Mario Freitas
Бразил
Local time: 10:01
англиски на португалски
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I probably have. I don't remember. But the truth is 99% of the time, when I say that, I mean it.
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